Method and machine for knitting gloves



Oct. 14, 1941. L. IMBRIANI METHOD AND MACHINE FOR KN ITTING GLOVES Filed July 27, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet l I fizz/6722b? LOUIS IMBRlANl Oct. 14, 1941. I R N 2,259,381

METHOD AND MACHINE FOR KNITTING GLOVES Filed July 27, 1940' 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 LOUIS IMBRIANI kz s ai zarvzeya Oct. 14, 1941. L. IMBRIANI METHOD AND MACHINE FOR KNITTI NG GLOVES Filed July 27, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ]5zverzZor LOUIS IMBRIANI Patented Oct. 14, 1941 METHOD AND MACHINE non KNITTING GLOVES Louis Imbriani, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Ainslie Knitting Machine Company,

Inc.,

Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 27, 1940, Serial No. 348,055

7 Claims.

This invention relates to knitted gloves and more particularly to the methods of and machines for knitting such gloves and it is an object of this invention to provide an improved method of knitting gloves which will greatly facilitate the manufacture of knit gloves and render such manufacture possible by operators of less skill and experience than is now necessary. It is also an object of this invention to provide an improved knitting machine for the carrying out of the improved method of knitting gloves.

In the drawings there are shown only such 'parts of a knitting machine as are necessary to illustrate the invention and make clear the various steps in the knitting of a glove in accordance therewith.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view of a knitting machine for knitting a glove in accordance with this invention, the needles being shown held by the jacks with their butts raised to be engaged by the needle operating cams and holding a finger;

Figures 2 and 3 are views similar to Fig. 1 showing different stages of the operation of simultaneously transferring the loops from all needles of one bank which are active in the knitting of a finger, Fig. 2 showing the needles advanced to be engaged by a multiple decker and Fig. 3 showing the needles retracted to cast off the' loops from the needles to the points of the multiple decker.

Figure 4 is a view, similar to Fig. 1 showing the jacks advanced to depress the needle butts and render the needles inactive.

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view showing the relation of the loops of the last courses at the base of the fingers after the loops of the second, third and fourth fingers knit have been transferred laterally, so that a plurality of the needles of each bank hold loops of adjacent fingers;

Figure 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing the loops of a course of the hand;

Figure 7 is a view similar to Fig. 1 and showing loops of the back portion of the hand transferred to a multiple decker to be held during the knitting of the thumb and a comb positioned to cooperate with the cleared needles in forming the starting up course for the thumb;

Figure 8'is a plan view, as seen from above, in Fig. 7

Figures 9 'and, 10 are views similar to Fig. 7, Fig. 9 showing the needles retracted and drawing loops about the points of the comb while Fig. 10 shows the loops drawn by the needles, and the comb dropped and weighted to hold the loops during the knitting of the thumb; V

Figure 11 is a diagr'ammatic'plan view of the finished glove showing the overlapping of the wales of the adjacent fingers; and

Figure 12 is a diagrammatic sectionalview taken through the index finger and thumb of Fig. 11 and showing the relation of the thumb to the palm portion of the hand.

In the drawings the invention is illustrated in connection with a flat knitting machine of the Lamb type having front and rear banks of needles n and n respectively mounted in grooves or slots in spaced parallel needle frames I and 2, respectively, the frame at the leftin the drawings being considered the front frame. Jacks 4 of substantially U-shape and of spring material are mounted in the needle grooves and both needles and jacks are provided with butts for the operation thereof. The jacks are arranged with one leg thereof above the other in the needle grooves and spaced so as to receive the adjacent end of the needle therebetween. The upper leg of each jack is bent so as to offset the end portion towards the other leg and is provided with an upwardly projecting butt 4a which, when the jack is in position in the needle groove, is positioned between stops 5 and 6 carried by the frames. The lower leg of the jack is formed with an angularly extending, reversely bent end portion 412 which, when the jack is drawn back, engages with the bottom of the needle groove and holds the lower leg of the jack in position to hold the needle raisedv with the butt thereofpositioned to be engaged by the needle operating cams as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. When the jack is advanced the bent end portion 4b of the lower leg projects into an opening in the bottom of the needle groove and the upper leg engages beneath the upper stop 5 so that, with the needle positioned as in Fig. 4, the upper leg bears upon the needle, forcing it to the bottom of the needle groove and positioning the butt thereof so it will not be engaged by the needle operating cams thus rendering the needl inactive. Drawing back the jack will raise the needle so that its butt will again be engaged by the needle operating cams and the needle rendered active.

To knit a glove in accordance with this invention, a thread or yarn is fed to sufiicient needles of both banks at one end of the machine, the left end for example, as seen in Fig. 5, to knit a finger'tube as finger A of Fig. 11. This finger is knit, beginning at the outer end thereof, in any usual manner and may be knit tapered by gradually adding needles to establish the full size of the tube or knit so as to have its outer end closed by a draw-thread and is knit to the desired length or number of courses. Upon completion of the first finger knit, the loops of the last course knit are retained upon the needles and the needles holding these loops are rendered inactive by advancing the jacks to depress the needle butts as shown in Fig. 4. The next or second finger, finger B of Fig. 11, is then started by feeding a thread to suflicient needles of both banks as in the case of the first finger A, the needles to which the thread is fed being immediately adjacent the needles used to knit the first finger A, and this finger tube is knit of the desired length or number of courses. 1

Where it is not desired to attach wales of ad'- jacent fingers to common wales of the palm and back portions of the glove the needles on which the second finger B is knit are now rendered inactive and the third and fourth fingers; C and D, are successively knit on needles of both banks immediately adjacent the needles holding the loops of these'cond and third fingers B and C, respectively, the needles holding the loops of the third finger C being rendered inactive during the knitting of the fourth finger D.

Where it is desired to secure wales of adjacent fingers to common wales of the palm andback portions of the glove the loops of the last course of the second finger B are transferred laterally so that the desired number of loops from the needles of eachbank are placed on needles holding loops of the first finger A. In Fig. 5, three needles of each bank are shown as holding loops, of both fingers A- and B. To accomplish this transfer of the loops of the second finger B, the needles of a bank are advanced to bring the loops thereon below the needle latches and the hooks of the needles are engaged in the eyes of the points 8 of a multiple decker 8, as shown in Fig. 2, and the needles are then retracted so as to cast off the loops onto the decker points 8, as shown in Fig. 3, all loops of the finger on that bank of needles being cast off. The decker is then disengaged from the needles, shifted laterally (in the direction of the first finger knit) the desired number of needles and again engaged with the needles. The loops are then moved from the decker onto the hooks of the needles engaged therewith. The loops of the second finger on the other bank of needles are then transferred in the same manner so that a desired number of needles of both banks (three as shown in Fig. holds loops of .both fingers A and B. The needles of both banks which were active in the knitting of thefinger B are then rendered inactive and the knitting of the next finger C is then accomplished on the needles of both banks immediately adjacent the needles holding loops of the finger B. Upon completion of the knitting of finger C, it is transferred laterally the same number of needles and in the same direction and manner as the finger B so that, as shown in Fig. 5, the desired number of needles of both banks hold loops of both fingers B and C. The active needles holding loops of the finger C are then rendered inactive and the next finger D is then knit on needles of both banks immediately adjacent the finger C and trans ferred in the same direction and to the same extent as the finger C so that the desired number of needles of both banks hold loops of both the fingers C and D.

All needles holding loops of the fingers, and

only such needles, are then rendered active and knitting of the palm and back portions E and F proceeds on those needles of both banks until the course is reached at which the thumb G is attached. If it is desired to attach the thumb after the hand is knit a draw thread can be placed in this course and the thumb applied later in the usual manner. Where it is preferred to knit the thumb before the hand is completed, loops from sumcient needles for knitting half of the thumb are removed from the bank of needles knitting the' back F of the glove, the back bank in the drawings, by transferring these loops to a multiple decker 8 in the manner previously described and the loops are then secured on the decker by a cap 8 and the decker dropped between the needle banks where it is held suspended by the fabric as shown in Fig. 7.. Knitting is then resumed on the cleared needles and the corresponding needles of the front bank I, which have been knitting the palm =,(the remaining needles having been rendered inactive, but retaining their loops), by placing a comb I0 having points II) of the same'gauge as the needles between the needle banks and positioned so that when the needles of the back bank 2 are .advanced to take the thread they will pass between the points Ill of the comb I0 and below the pin Ill in the eyes III in the comb points I0. Drawing of loops by the needles of the back bank 2 forms loops which are held by the comb The loops of the back portion which were transferred from the needles of the back bank 2 to the multiple decker 8 are now restored to the needles of the back bank 2 from which they were taken and the loops held by the comb I 0 are transferred to the corresponding cleared needles of the front back I, the inactive needles are restored to action and knitting is resumed on all needles of both banks holding loops. Restoring the loops from the multiple decker 8 to the back bank 2 restores the displaced loops of the back portion of the glove to their proper needles so that knitting of the entire back portion can be continued and placing the loops held by the comb I 0 upon the cleared needles of the front bank I places the only free loops at the root of the thumb upon needles knitting the palm'so that these loops will be attached to the next course of the palm portion knit by the front bank I.

Knitting on all needles holding loops is continued to the desired number of courses or length of glove and the loops pressed oil, the glove being finished in the usual manner. Where a wrist portion of rib fabric is desired a separately knit rib fabric portion is looped or otherwise attached to the glove.

,What is claimed is:

1. In a method of knitting gloves, the steps of knitting tubular fingers in succession in parallel banks ofneedles, knitting the hand on both banks of needles to the thumb course and securing the'fingers to the hand in the knitting there.- of, simultaneously clearing in the needle bank knitting the hand back sufficient needles to knit half the thumb, knitting the thumb on said cleared needles and corresponding needles of the front bank with the cleared needles of the backbank drawing loops on a comb in the first course of the thumb, pressing oif the loops of the thumb on completion thereof, simultaneously restoring the loops taken therefrom to the cleared needles of the back bank, simultaneously transferring the, loops on the comb to the corresponding needles of the front bank and completing the attaching of the thumb to the palm in the continued knitting of the hand.

2. In a method of knitting gloves, the steps of knitting tubular fingers in succession beginning at the tip ends thereof on parallel banks of needles, transferring each finger except the first finger knit, upon completion thereof to partially overlap the finger previously knit, knitting the hand, to the course at which the thumb is attached and securing the hand and fingers together thereby, knitting a tubular thumb partly attached to the palm fabric, transferring the free loops of the first course of the thumb to needles which knit the palm and completing the attaching of the thumb to the palm in completing the knitting of the hand.

3. In a method of knittinggloves, the steps of knitting tubular fingers in succession beginning at the tip ends thereof on parallel banks of needles, transferring each finger, after the first, when knit to place loops of adjacent fingers upon a plurality of needles common to both fingers in both banks, knitting a hand attached to the fingers to the course at which the thumb is attached, simultaneously transferring loops of the back portion from a bank of needles to a multiple decker, forming a starting course for the thumb on a comb and the cleared needles, knitting the thumb on the cleared needles and the corresponding needles of the other bank to completion and pressing off the loops of the thumb, simultaneously transferring the loops from the multiple decker to the needles from which they were taken, simultaneously transferring the loops held by the comb to the-bare needles of the other bank and completing the knitting of the hand.

4'. In a method of knitting gloves, the steps of knitting tubular fingers in succession beginning at the tip ends thereof on parallel banks of needles, transferring each finger after the first one knit upon completion thereof to place loops of adjacent fingers upon a plurality of common needles of each bank, knitting a hand attached to the fingers to the course at which the thumb is attached, removing loops of the back portion from a bank of needles, knitting a thumb on the cleared needles and the corresponding needles of the other bank to completion and pressing off the loops of the thumb, restoring the loops to the back portion to the needles from which they were first finger knit all loops of the final course on each bank of needles to place loops of adjacent fingers upon a plurality of common needles and securing the fingers and hand together in the knitting of the hand.

6. In a method of knitting gloves, the steps of knitting tubular fingers in succession on a plurality of banks of needles beginning at the tip ends thereof, simultaneously transferring laterally the loops of the last course of each finger on each bank of needles as each finger is knit to place loops of adjacent fingers upon a plurality of needles common to both fingers in both banks and knitting a hand attached to the fingers.

7. In a method of knitting gloves, the steps of knitting tubular fingers in succession on parallel banks of needles beginning at the tip ends thereof, transferring laterally each finger as completed, except'the first finger. knit, to place a plurality of loops of adjacent fingers =upon common needles of each bank and securing the fingers and the hand together in the knitting of the hand.

LOUIS IMBRIANI. 

